Ratings vs Everton

[jondesouza]

I am going to get negged to buggery for this, but was I the only one who thought the team shape and selection looked a lot like something Tim would have come up with? Lots of homegrown youngsters, 4-4-2 ish, no holding midfielder, Eriksen pulling strings from the left, Lennon bulking out the midfield on the right...

Glad to see Poch got there in the end

It's similar to how Harry had us line up for the majority of the season we reached the CL (with Eriksen playing nominally wide left as Modric did). The lack of proper DM was brave - I'm not sure I'm entirely comfortable with it and it's putting a lot of pressure on Mason and Bentaleb but it worked today.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Ich Bin Ein Dresdener
(not this season's obviously)

That first half was the best 45 minutes of football we've played for year at least. It's so rare that a day goes so well. It had everything you look for. Good tactics, good pressing, good tempo, coherence, cohesion, verve.

And even in the second half, though we surrendered some control of the ball at times, what was really pleasing was how disciplined and coherent we were as a collective, not allowing a pretty good offensive team a sniff.

Even MoPo's post match was coherent. A day of firsts.

I was, obviously, a little disappointed by the selection of Lennon over Lamela. And whilst I stand by my general assessment of the pair as competition for the same place, in hindsight it was a good tactical move. As ever, Lennon didn't really contribute loads creatively - although he did really well to set up Soldado - what he did do was work well without the ball, and tactically,helped to completely nullify the attacking threat of Baines.

I was also less than thrilled by Eriksen being shunted out to the left of what at times was a 4 midfield, and while Eriksen's creative input was perhaps a little compromised, it was still very good and his work rate matched Lennon's, meaning Coleman got little change on his side too.

Kane worked his absolute bollocks off, and for me this was his best performance in a Spurs shirt. He didn't score or even produce an exceptional single individual moment, but for 60-70 minutes he did everything we needed from him, he lead the press from the front, dropped back to help the CM's without the ball and in possession he showed centre, left and right and generally worked their defenders. His pressing and winning of the ball for the Soldado's goal made my nuts glow.

Vertonghen is looking very good again. Let's stop fucking around, give him the armband, and let him marshall that defence. Fazio and Davies also had their best games in the lily-white. No coincidence for me though, that they all looked better when those ahead them were so much better without the ball.

I've been saying for weeks that Poch needs to get the CM right. Not just the who, but the how - how they work as a pair and within the team dynamic (I have recently cited how Schniederlin and Wanyama work for Soton). Today our engine room was the star of the show for me. For a 19yo having his first start for weeks, Bentaleb was superb, great technique, he plays with more composure, maturity and awareness than many much older.

As good as Bentaleb was, my MOTM goes to Mason. He was wasteful with the ball a few times in attacking situations, which continues to disappoint me a bit as this was his strength as a kid, but this was still, by far, his best performance in his first team career. For the first time he stopped careering around like a dementor with ants up his arse, he was positionally disciplined, tactically smart, far more in harmony with his CM partner and those around him, helping launch attacks and protecting his defence. It was a real grown up performance. It was a beautiful performance of busy ****ed footballness. Three of my favourite words.

We didn't deserve to be behind, once again to a wonder strike from range, sometimes shit just happens like that, we'd done nothing wrong. With everything that's happened this season at WHL that could have sounded the death knell. But this is where a philosophy wins. When you you have one, you have an answer. That answer is to continue doing the things you've been taught all week. You keep doing the right things, working for each other, for the collective. The pressing of Distin forced him to hoof straight to Vertonghen who, with the help of Mason, launched us quickly on the offensive before Everton could set up - bang 1-1. It was the kind of quick transition (good woody word) we've been hoping to see, and not long after it was followed by more of the same. Kane pressing and harrying Barry out of possession, bing, bing, bang and another quick tempo transition later, Soldado finally delivered. It felt so good I nearly rolled over and lit a post coital fag.

I don't think I've enjoyed a goal that much since Bale smashed in that corker away at West Ham.

Personally I would have subbed out Kane at 70min for Dembele, he'd run his bollocks off and was looking spent, and Dembele's tenacity and willingness to hold the ball might actually have been a plus. But apart from that small grumble, this was Pochettino's finest hour as Spurs coach.

Isn't football great.


Individual stuff:

Lloris - Not loads to do, but the mark of a great keeper when you still do it when it matters. He did. Very good today

Chiriches - Better as a RB than Dier. A very good footballer, but a very worrying defender. Gave away the free kick they eventually scored from. Overall decent.

Fazio - Good game.

Vertonghen - Very good game.

Davies - Very solid game.

Bentaleb - Such a cool head one so young. Along with his partner was one of the reasons we played so well. They were both technically good, positionally proficient, dynamic, disciplined and a cohesive unit.

Mason - MOTM - Put his brain, tenacity and ability to work for the team, reined himself in and was so much more effective for it. He still did the things he does well, moving the ball intelligently, progressively and with tempo, but importantly we no longer looked vulnerable to every ill wind that blew our way, as we have recently.

Lennon - More important without the ball than with it, was positionally disciplined and provided exactly what he needed to without the ball, the energy and discipline to stifle Baines, one of their biggest threats. Did very well with the pass for the first goal too.

Eriksen - Very good game. Very impressive without the ball as we know this is not his strength. Took his goal well and his all round game was very good today.

Kane - Worked his nuts off today. Was everywhere. Leading the press, winning the ball for the second goal, dropping back to help the CM's, dropping wide to stretch the defenders. Major role in both goals. Most complete game in a Spurs shirt.

Soldado - Very good game. Also worked hard, showed good movement (for both goals, cleverly taking a defender away from Kane for the first goal) and contributed in all facets with and without the ball.

Subs - All did OK, but Lamela should have been more composed on a couple of occasions when we broke away.


Martinez - He got his tactics wrong today IMO, Eto was like a turtle in a windsock, not knowing where to be. And his post match interview was pathetic. That wasn't a penalty and his team were outplayed in every way first half.

@Blake Griffin
We won the not possession.

 

[Mr Pink]

Ich Bin Ein Dresdener
(not this season's obviously)

That first half was the best 45 minutes of football we've played for year at least. It's so rare that a day goes so well. It had everything you look for. Good tactics, good pressing, good tempo, coherence, cohesion, verve.

And even in the second half, though we surrendered some control of the ball at times, what was really pleasing was how disciplined and coherent we were as a collective, not allowing a pretty good offensive team a sniff.

Even MoPo's post match was coherent. A day of firsts.

I was, obviously, a little disappointed by the selection of Lennon over Lamela. And whilst I stand by my general assessment of the pair as competition for the same place, in hindsight it was a good tactical move. As ever, Lennon didn't really contribute loads creatively - although he did really well to set up Soldado - what he did do was work well without the ball, and tactically,helped to completely nullify the attacking threat of Baines.

I was also less than thrilled by Eriksen being shunted out to the left of what at times was a 4 midfield, and while Eriksen's creative input was perhaps a little compromised, it was still very good and his work rate matched Lennon's, meaning Coleman got little change on his side too.

Kane worked his absolute bollocks off, and for me this was his best performance in a Spurs shirt. He didn't score or even produce an exceptional single individual moment, but for 60-70 minutes he did everything we needed from him, he lead the press from the front, dropped back to help the CM's without the ball and in possession he showed centre, left and right and generally worked their defenders. His pressing and winning of the ball for the Soldado's goal made my nuts glow.

Vertonghen is looking very good again. Let's stop fucking around, give him the armband, and let him marshall that defence. Fazio and Davies also had their best games in the lily-white. No coincidence for me though, that they all looked better when those ahead them were so much better without the ball.

I've been saying for weeks that Poch needs to get the CM right. Not just the who, but the how - how they work as a pair and within the team dynamic (I have recently cited how Schniederlin and Wanyama work for Soton). Today our engine room was the star of the show for me. For a 19yo having his first start for weeks, Bentaleb was superb, great technique, he plays with more composure, maturity and awareness than many much older.

As good as Bentaleb was, my MOTM goes to Mason. He was wasteful with the ball a few times in attacking situations, which continues to disappoint me a bit as this was his strength as a kid, but this was still, by far, his best performance in his first team career. For the first time he stopped careering around like a dementor with ants up his arse, he was positionally disciplined, tactically smart, far more in harmony with his CM partner and those around him, helping launch attacks and protecting his defence. It was a real grown up performance. It was a beautiful performance of busy ****ed footballness. Three of my favourite words.

We didn't deserve to be behind, once again to a wonder strike from range, sometimes shit just happens like that, we'd done nothing wrong. With everything that's happened this season at WHL that could have sounded the death knell. But this is where a philosophy wins. When you you have one, you have an answer. That answer is to continue doing the things you've been taught all week. You keep doing the right things, working for each other, for the collective. The pressing of Distin forced him to hoof straight to Vertonghen who, with the help of Mason, launched us quickly on the offensive before Everton could set up - bang 1-1. It was the kind of quick transition (good woody word) we've been hoping to see, and not long after it was followed by more of the same. Kane pressing and harrying Barry out of possession, bing, bing, bang and another quick tempo transition later, Soldado finally delivered. It felt so good I nearly rolled over and lit a post coital fag.

I don't think I've enjoyed a goal that much since Bale smashed in that corker away at West Ham.

Personally I would have subbed out Kane at 70min for Dembele, he'd run his bollocks off and was looking spent, and Dembele's tenacity and willingness to hold the ball might actually have been a plus. But apart from that small grumble, this was Pochettino's finest hour as Spurs coach.

Isn't football great.


Individual stuff:

Lloris - Not loads to do, but the mark of a great keeper when you still do it when it matters. He did. Very good today

Chiriches - Better as a RB than Dier. A very good footballer, but a very worrying defender. Gave away the free kick they eventually scored from. Overall decent.

Fazio - Good game.

Vertonghen - Very good game.

Davies - Very solid game.

Bentaleb - Such a cool head one so young. Along with his partner was one of the reasons we played so well. They were both technically good, positionally proficient, dynamic, disciplined and a cohesive unit.

Mason - MOTM - Put his brain, tenacity and ability to work for the team, reined himself in and was so much more effective for it. He still did the things he does well, moving the ball intelligently, progressively and with tempo, but importantly we no longer looked vulnerable to every ill wind that blew our way, as we have recently.

Lennon - More important without the ball than with it, was positionally disciplined and provided exactly what he needed to without the ball, the energy and discipline to stifle Baines, one of their biggest threats. Did very well with the pass for the first goal too.

Eriksen - Very good game. Very impressive without the ball as we know this is not his strength. Took his goal well and his all round game was very good today.

Kane - Worked his nuts off today. Was everywhere. Leading the press, winning the ball for the second goal, dropping back to help the CM's, dropping wide to stretch the defenders. Most complete game in a Spurs shirt.

Soldado - Very good game. Also worked hard, showed good movement (for both goals, cleverly taking a defender away from Kane for the first goal) and contributed in all facets with and without the ball.

Subs - All did OK, but Lamela should have been more composed on a couple of occasions when we broke away.


Martinez - He got his tactics wrong today IMO, Eto was like a turtle in a windsock, not knowing where to be. And his post match interview was pathetic. That wasn't a penalty and his team were outplayed in every way first half.

Had to stop there - that is quality

And the second highlighted part is a very pertinent point IMO.

 

[lukespurs7]

Very very proud of the lads today, top performance against a decent side!

Lloris - 6 - Not loads to do but as usual did it well

Chiriches - 6- Don't rate him but is a better RB than Dier and we suffered when he went off
Jan -8 - Back to his best seems to have a new lease of life
Fazio-7- Much much better, looked more like the player he was at Sevilla
Davies -6- Fairly solid, stopped a lot of crosses

Lennon -7- We have missed him massively, his pace and also what he does defensively, top player
Mason -8- Fantastic passing, engine etc
Bentaleb-6- Not bad for first game back in a while, not as good as Mason though
Eriksen-9- Such a class act, great goal and incisive passes top performance again MOTM

Kane -8- Great effort desire and deserved a goal
Soldado -7-Worked hard and got his goal finally SOLDADOOO

Subs:
Dier-6- ok...
Lamela -3- Shocking, in 30minutes made about 5 fouls and gave the ball away so much and messed up 3 good counter attacks, our threat dissapated once he replaced Lennon
Pauliniho -6- Did what he was supposed to.

Potch -8- Brave team choice and it paid off. With the players he has 4-4-2 seems to be the way to go.

Fantastic win and good performance, we should've scored more, they bossed possession a bit much for my liking but didn't look a huge threat really.

COYS, amazing atmosphere and good to win again.

 

[Blake Griffin]

It was good to hear even Neville saying that it was the first time in a long time that he actually enjoyed watching Tottenham. Talk about being damned by faint praise!

he also said defensively it was the best performance he's seen from a pl side this season.

 

[nightgoat]

Best performance of the season by a long way. Better than anything last season, too.

Mason and Bentaleb were superb together (Mason must surely be knocking on the England door, especially considering the likes of Delph now get called up. But then Woy doesn't watch Spurs games.) Fazio and Davies both had their best games for us so far. Soldado was excellent in his link up and hold up play, and got the goal his all round performances in recent games has deserved. Kane was a constant threat, although there were a couple of occasions he could have passed to others in good positions. Vertonghen looked like the Vertonghen of his first season. Overall the team was excellent, and the crowd was as good as I've heard since the Jol days.

 

[Phomesy]

People are underselling the difference Chiriches has made at Right back. Yes, he's prone to diving in and brain farts BUT his speed and attack and ability on the ball have helped (along with Lennon's reintroduction) shore up a right side that has leaked goals all season.

We desperately miss Walker - but in the meantime Vlad's the answer not Dier, imo.

As for the rest - best performance under Poch. Verts was imperious. Fazio solid as a rock. Davies gutsy and determined. Bentaleb and Mason = the future.

And how about the Lane's reaction to Soldado's goal! Fucking sensational atmosphere today.

 

[chinaman]

Ich Bin Ein Dresdener
(not this season's obviously)

That first half was the best 45 minutes of football we've played for year at least. It's so rare that a day goes so well. It had everything you look for. Good tactics, good pressing, good tempo, coherence, cohesion, verve.

And even in the second half, though we surrendered some control of the ball at times, what was really pleasing was how disciplined and coherent we were as a collective, not allowing a pretty good offensive team a sniff.

Even MoPo's post match was coherent. A day of firsts.

I was, obviously, a little disappointed by the selection of Lennon over Lamela. And whilst I stand by my general assessment of the pair as competition for the same place, in hindsight it was a good tactical move. As ever, Lennon didn't really contribute loads creatively - although he did really well to set up Soldado - what he did do was work well without the ball, and tactically,helped to completely nullify the attacking threat of Baines.

I was also less than thrilled by Eriksen being shunted out to the left of what at times was a 4 midfield, and while Eriksen's creative input was perhaps a little compromised, it was still very good and his work rate matched Lennon's, meaning Coleman got little change on his side too.

Kane worked his absolute bollocks off, and for me this was his best performance in a Spurs shirt. He didn't score or even produce an exceptional single individual moment, but for 60-70 minutes he did everything we needed from him, he lead the press from the front, dropped back to help the CM's without the ball and in possession he showed centre, left and right and generally worked their defenders. His pressing and winning of the ball for the Soldado's goal made my nuts glow.

Vertonghen is looking very good again. Let's stop fucking around, give him the armband, and let him marshall that defence. Fazio and Davies also had their best games in the lily-white. No coincidence for me though, that they all looked better when those ahead them were so much better without the ball.

I've been saying for weeks that Poch needs to get the CM right. Not just the who, but the how - how they work as a pair and within the team dynamic (I have recently cited how Schniederlin and Wanyama work for Soton). Today our engine room was the star of the show for me. For a 19yo having his first start for weeks, Bentaleb was superb, great technique, he plays with more composure, maturity and awareness than many much older.

As good as Bentaleb was, my MOTM goes to Mason. He was wasteful with the ball a few times in attacking situations, which continues to disappoint me a bit as this was his strength as a kid, but this was still, by far, his best performance in his first team career. For the first time he stopped careering around like a dementor with ants up his arse, he was positionally disciplined, tactically smart, far more in harmony with his CM partner and those around him, helping launch attacks and protecting his defence. It was a real grown up performance. It was a beautiful performance of busy ****ed footballness. Three of my favourite words.

We didn't deserve to be behind, once again to a wonder strike from range, sometimes shit just happens like that, we'd done nothing wrong. With everything that's happened this season at WHL that could have sounded the death knell. But this is where a philosophy wins. When you you have one, you have an answer. That answer is to continue doing the things you've been taught all week. You keep doing the right things, working for each other, for the collective. The pressing of Distin forced him to hoof straight to Vertonghen who, with the help of Mason, launched us quickly on the offensive before Everton could set up - bang 1-1. It was the kind of quick transition (good woody word) we've been hoping to see, and not long after it was followed by more of the same. Kane pressing and harrying Barry out of possession, bing, bing, bang and another quick tempo transition later, Soldado finally delivered. It felt so good I nearly rolled over and lit a post coital fag.

I don't think I've enjoyed a goal that much since Bale smashed in that corker away at West Ham.

Personally I would have subbed out Kane at 70min for Dembele, he'd run his bollocks off and was looking spent, and Dembele's tenacity and willingness to hold the ball might actually have been a plus. But apart from that small grumble, this was Pochettino's finest hour as Spurs coach.

Isn't football great.


Individual stuff:

Lloris - Not loads to do, but the mark of a great keeper when you still do it when it matters. He did. Very good today

Chiriches - Better as a RB than Dier. A very good footballer, but a very worrying defender. Gave away the free kick they eventually scored from. Overall decent.

Fazio - Good game.

Vertonghen - Very good game.

Davies - Very solid game.

Bentaleb - Such a cool head one so young. Along with his partner was one of the reasons we played so well. They were both technically good, positionally proficient, dynamic, disciplined and a cohesive unit.

Mason - MOTM - Put his brain, tenacity and ability to work for the team, reined himself in and was so much more effective for it. He still did the things he does well, moving the ball intelligently, progressively and with tempo, but importantly we no longer looked vulnerable to every ill wind that blew our way, as we have recently.

Lennon - More important without the ball than with it, was positionally disciplined and provided exactly what he needed to without the ball, the energy and discipline to stifle Baines, one of their biggest threats. Did very well with the pass for the first goal too.

Eriksen - Very good game. Very impressive without the ball as we know this is not his strength. Took his goal well and his all round game was very good today.

Kane - Worked his nuts off today. Was everywhere. Leading the press, winning the ball for the second goal, dropping back to help the CM's, dropping wide to stretch the defenders. Most complete game in a Spurs shirt.

Soldado - Very good game. Also worked hard, showed good movement (for both goals, cleverly taking a defender away from Kane for the first goal) and contributed in all facets with and without the ball.

Subs - All did OK, but Lamela should have been more composed on a couple of occasions when we broke away.


Martinez - He got his tactics wrong today IMO, Eto was like a turtle in a windsock, not knowing where to be. And his post match interview was pathetic. That wasn't a penalty and his team were outplayed in every way first half.

@Blake Griffin
We won the not possession.

While I star-rate this post, I must say Kane played a crucial role in both our goals.

 

[sparx100]

Feels bloody satisfying having 3 of our youngsters coming through and having such a pivotal role in the game today.

 

[THFCSPURS19]

Ich Bin Ein Dresdener
(not this season's obviously)

That first half was the best 45 minutes of football we've played for year at least. It's so rare that a day goes so well. It had everything you look for. Good tactics, good pressing, good tempo, coherence, cohesion, verve.

And even in the second half, though we surrendered some control of the ball at times, what was really pleasing was how disciplined and coherent we were as a collective, not allowing a pretty good offensive team a sniff.

Even MoPo's post match was coherent. A day of firsts.

I was, obviously, a little disappointed by the selection of Lennon over Lamela. And whilst I stand by my general assessment of the pair as competition for the same place, in hindsight it was a good tactical move. As ever, Lennon didn't really contribute loads creatively - although he did really well to set up Soldado - what he did do was work well without the ball, and tactically,helped to completely nullify the attacking threat of Baines.

I was also less than thrilled by Eriksen being shunted out to the left of what at times was a 4 midfield, and while Eriksen's creative input was perhaps a little compromised, it was still very good and his work rate matched Lennon's, meaning Coleman got little change on his side too.

Kane worked his absolute bollocks off, and for me this was his best performance in a Spurs shirt. He didn't score or even produce an exceptional single individual moment, but for 60-70 minutes he did everything we needed from him, he lead the press from the front, dropped back to help the CM's without the ball and in possession he showed centre, left and right and generally worked their defenders. His pressing and winning of the ball for the Soldado's goal made my nuts glow.

Vertonghen is looking very good again. Let's stop fucking around, give him the armband, and let him marshall that defence. Fazio and Davies also had their best games in the lily-white. No coincidence for me though, that they all looked better when those ahead them were so much better without the ball.

I've been saying for weeks that Poch needs to get the CM right. Not just the who, but the how - how they work as a pair and within the team dynamic (I have recently cited how Schniederlin and Wanyama work for Soton). Today our engine room was the star of the show for me. For a 19yo having his first start for weeks, Bentaleb was superb, great technique, he plays with more composure, maturity and awareness than many much older.

As good as Bentaleb was, my MOTM goes to Mason. He was wasteful with the ball a few times in attacking situations, which continues to disappoint me a bit as this was his strength as a kid, but this was still, by far, his best performance in his first team career. For the first time he stopped careering around like a dementor with ants up his arse, he was positionally disciplined, tactically smart, far more in harmony with his CM partner and those around him, helping launch attacks and protecting his defence. It was a real grown up performance. It was a beautiful performance of busy ****ed footballness. Three of my favourite words.

We didn't deserve to be behind, once again to a wonder strike from range, sometimes shit just happens like that, we'd done nothing wrong. With everything that's happened this season at WHL that could have sounded the death knell. But this is where a philosophy wins. When you you have one, you have an answer. That answer is to continue doing the things you've been taught all week. You keep doing the right things, working for each other, for the collective. The pressing of Distin forced him to hoof straight to Vertonghen who, with the help of Mason, launched us quickly on the offensive before Everton could set up - bang 1-1. It was the kind of quick transition (good woody word) we've been hoping to see, and not long after it was followed by more of the same. Kane pressing and harrying Barry out of possession, bing, bing, bang and another quick tempo transition later, Soldado finally delivered. It felt so good I nearly rolled over and lit a post coital fag.

I don't think I've enjoyed a goal that much since Bale smashed in that corker away at West Ham.

Personally I would have subbed out Kane at 70min for Dembele, he'd run his bollocks off and was looking spent, and Dembele's tenacity and willingness to hold the ball might actually have been a plus. But apart from that small grumble, this was Pochettino's finest hour as Spurs coach.

Isn't football great.


Individual stuff:

Lloris - Not loads to do, but the mark of a great keeper when you still do it when it matters. He did. Very good today

Chiriches - Better as a RB than Dier. A very good footballer, but a very worrying defender. Gave away the free kick they eventually scored from. Overall decent.

Fazio - Good game.

Vertonghen - Very good game.

Davies - Very solid game.

Bentaleb - Such a cool head one so young. Along with his partner was one of the reasons we played so well. They were both technically good, positionally proficient, dynamic, disciplined and a cohesive unit.

Mason - MOTM - Put his brain, tenacity and ability to work for the team, reined himself in and was so much more effective for it. He still did the things he does well, moving the ball intelligently, progressively and with tempo, but importantly we no longer looked vulnerable to every ill wind that blew our way, as we have recently.

Lennon - More important without the ball than with it, was positionally disciplined and provided exactly what he needed to without the ball, the energy and discipline to stifle Baines, one of their biggest threats. Did very well with the pass for the first goal too.

Eriksen - Very good game. Very impressive without the ball as we know this is not his strength. Took his goal well and his all round game was very good today.

Kane - Worked his nuts off today. Was everywhere. Leading the press, winning the ball for the second goal, dropping back to help the CM's, dropping wide to stretch the defenders. Most complete game in a Spurs shirt.

Soldado - Very good game. Also worked hard, showed good movement (for both goals, cleverly taking a defender away from Kane for the first goal) and contributed in all facets with and without the ball.

Subs - All did OK, but Lamela should have been more composed on a couple of occasions when we broke away.


Martinez - He got his tactics wrong today IMO, Eto was like a turtle in a windsock, not knowing where to be. And his post match interview was pathetic. That wasn't a penalty and his team were outplayed in every way first half.

@Blake Griffin
We won the not possession.

Well, I have to give it to you, I did not see the Mason MOTM award coming

 

[Bus-Conductor]

While I star-rate this post, I must say Kane played a crucial role in both our goals.

You are correct. Have edited.

 

[SpurSince57]

So is Fazio officially no longer shite?

 

[sparx100]

So is Fazio officially no longer shite?

Until our next loss

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Well, I have to give it to you, I did not see the Mason MOTM award coming

You don't agree I take it ?

 

[carpediem991]

Lloris - 6 - not one real save to make. And thats pleasing. Our defense looked solid for the first time in ages. A real team performance. It will be more difficult against teams who sit back themselves but it is a positive start

Chiriches - 6 - he was okay and I am more happy to see him there than Dier or Vlad as CB. But he had another big cock up sending Evertons striker on his way. He improved from there on.
Fazio - 7.5 - best performance in a Spurs shirt. Dominant in the air and solid. But a bit lucky with the handball incindet, you have to say that.
Vertonghen - 8.5 - class act. So composed on the ball I sometimes wish he could play in CM as well. Defensively solid. The unity helped everyone at the back today
Davies - 7 - that was a good performance. He just needs more games and gets better. I like him more than Rose, hopefully Poch won't drop him again.

Mason - 7 - I think he was very wasteful on the ball at times and had difficulties to get on the ball as CM but he was tactical excellent and promised a good partnership with Nabil.
Bentaleb - 8 - What a way to return to the starting line up with this age. Impressive. Hopefully he can play consistently on this level. Can become a real star.
Lennon - 7 - good effort for the team. I think he is a useful player in the big teams were you have to defend and hit the opponent on the counter. Also the team is more balanced with him. I am not a Lennon fan but credit to him. Hopefully he steps up and improves to stay in the team.
Eriksen - 7.5 - Defensively better than in the last games, helped Davies well. Another goal and some good passes.

Soldado - 7 - Happy for him. Hopefully he can continue to score, finally.
Kane - 9 - MOTM. What a player he has become in the last 10 months. No goal but great effort and a foot in both goals!!

Subs: All 6's

 

[SpurSince57]

Probably our best performance since the 3-1 over City, and where it came from, who knows?

 

[THFCSPURS19]

You don't agree I take it ?

Not in this instance but you were slating him in the match thread so I didn't see this coming

 

[fortworthspur]

great effort by the team. Lennon probably deserves a little more love - he worked his socks off defending all the way back to his own end line.

 

[Mr Pink]

Probably our best performance since the 3-1 over City, and where it came from, who knows?

It was exactly the reason why I wanted Pochettino, the high intensity, swarm all over the opposition high octane approach. Fast, slick football.

We havn't seen much of that to date but it arrived in abundance today.

Everton were probably a bit leggy having played away on Thursday but it was still a very impressive performance.

To be fair I had faith in this coming even though I could understand the frustration of others given how little we've seen of it in recent weeks. Just a few glimpses. I never thought for one minute it would be an instant kind of transformation. Its taken Pochettino to get rid of the some of the more senior players to.

Hopefully this day will be remembered as defining under the Pochettino reign - albeit its only one game.

 

[mpickard2087]

A benchmark has now been set in terms of effort and application. It was a breath of fresh air to see, particularly first half, everyone working their nuts off, pressing from the front and putting everything on the line for the cause. We did a great job of strangling the space (well, centrally) and having rh game played in front of our defence rather than having to turn and chase.

I did think Everton today were a bit blunt and lacking in ideas, and compared to our efforts afforded us too much time on the ball and left too much space between the lines... However whilst noting that I don't think you should take away from the efforts of our lads. All of them put in a great shift and gave 100%, win lose or draw you could at least appreciate they had tried their upmost.

Individually I was particularly impressed with Lennon, Mason and Kane. These three seemed to be at the forefront of our pressing efforts and although you expect it from Mason somewhat based on what he has done so far, Lennon and Kane had their best games in this regard today that I can recall. I also think Eriksen deserves recognition for putting in such a shift, I have said elsewhere but I didn't think he had it in him to knuckle down and work so hard off the ball and show a bit of tenacity with it. Well done young man.

All of them deserve some credit though, it was a team effort. The back four all had very good games, aided because they had better protection and the game was played in front of them. The cm2 I thought was risky beforehand, but credit to the both of them. They showed discipline, positionally did a good job and worked really hard. It was also refreshing to see them both looking to move the ball quickly and with a bit of tempo. It didn't always come off, particularly for Mason, but they were trying to do the right things. It makes such a difference if you can move the ball with a bit of energy and take the game to the opposition, not allowing them to set.

It was probably inevitable that we tired a bit and Everton bossed the latter stages, I would have preferred that we could have pushed up a bit and found a way to keep the ball a bit more and take the sting out of the game, however it isn't going to come overnight and today was an improvement in terms of attitude and application. These are what needs sorting first, the rest will follow.

As I said at the start though, this has to be a benchmark. We need to kick on from here and show this wasn't a one off. We shall see...


Lloris - Didn't really have a lot to do. The one time our defence was breached he was out smartly to do enough to disrupt the chance.

Chiriches - There were a couple of silly moments but I thought he did ok before going off. Was involved in some nice passages of play in the first half and his more adventurous mindset I think makes a difference when you compare him against Dier or Naughton.

Fazio - Best game for us today. Looked far more comfortable with the game being played in front of him rather than having to turn and chase. Did all the bits and pieces of defending that came his way and was a good 'stopper' at times when they tried to feed the ball into the frontman.

Vertonghen - Very good game. Just exuded authority and confidence.

Davies - Solid. didn't have the easiest of jobs defending against their right flank but stopped most of the danger. Could maybe offer a bit more in attack at times, even in a supporting role.

Lennon - One of his better games for... Well, I don't know how long. Surprised he was subbed off so early. Worked very hard up and down the pitch and was one of the main instigators of our pressing game in the first half. He did look like he was lacking confidence with the ball, a number of times he just sent it back where it came from and didn't look to turn and go forward, but showed composure for the assist. I hope we see this attitude and application from him more often.

Mason - Another who was really leading our pressing efforts. Not all his work was perfect, he did give the ball away a bit, but he was trying to play in the right way and him and Bentaleb brought some tempo and quick passing to our game. His energy and tenacity are becoming increasingly important in the centre of the park.

Bentaleb - Very impressive comeback. Seemed to have more presence about him, and just the impression of being quicker and stronger which allowed him to cover the ground and break up play at times. He also showed some nice touches and composure throughout. His partnership with Mason was a surprise success. Well done guys.

Eriksen - I'll be honest, I didn't think he had that amount of energy, application and tenacity in his game. Worked very hard, helping out in the centre of the pitch before shuttling wide to close down Coleman. He was flagging a bit towards the end but for a good hour or so was full of fight and put in a real shift for the team. Allied to this showed some nice touches at times popped up with the equaliser. As I said in his thread, he, and others, need to show this level of workrate more consistently now. That's the challenge.

Soldado - Better display, especially first half. He put himself about a bit more and there was more of a shift up top. After messing up the back-header chance I doubt I was the only one thinking 'here we go again' but he rattled in the goal when he got his chance. I thought he dipped in the second half, it is true we were dropping deeper but I thought he was closing down less. And I am going to mention the very weak challenge that should have seen the ball cleared in the immediate lead up to the goal we conceded... However, he's got another goal to build on now, I hope he can kick on.

Kane - Really worked hard today and led our pressing efforts. Largely responsible for the two goals we scored. His surging run and shot for the first, and his tackle robbing the ball for the winner. He showed a bit more power today and put himself about and led our pressing. His runs, though not the most aesthetic looking (and he could have at times got his head up and seen runners) were pretty effective and showed a different side to his game. Improving all the time, that's all we can ask.

Subs:

Lamela - I was surprised he was brought on at that point. We were playing two banks of four and I don't think he's as good as Lennon at getting back in and being disciplined in front of the full back. He did work hard, and there were a couple of good bits of play, but there were also a number of poor bits where he lost the ball or wasted half-decent opportunities. Probably wasn't the game for him.

Dier - Did ok. One important header at the back post.

Paulinho - Not long on the pitch, but one good interception and surge upfield that relieved some of the pressure we were facing.